Cause and Effect
by bittersweetode
Summary: When the future accidentally collides with the present, Hermione's world, along with that of a certain Potion's Master, is turned upside down. Destiny and Fate are questioned as they try to secure a future neither is quite sure they want.Warnings inside
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters, nor am i making and profit from this fanfiction.

A/N: This is my first fanfiction, but I've been reading SS/HG for years. I would really appreciate reviews, to let me know if I should stick to reading or carry on with this fiction. I've a small idea of where this story is going but the plot is still forming itself in my head, seems like it will be a lengthy one. Now for the warnings; please note this fic will contain violence as well as some strong language and sexual content, it's rated M for later chapters. There will also be dub-con, so if you don't like the idea, don't read any further. And again...Please Review

Cause and Effect

Why she had chosen to hide Borgin and Burkes of all places she would never know. It really was the only place she knew in Knockturn Alley. _**Better the devil you know... and all that**_ she thought. The front door was easily enough opened with an _Alohomora_, surprising for a place like this, but she really had no time to think about that right now. She ducked under the counter as quickly as she could, but soon enough she heard the heavy footfalls of her pursuer getting closer.

A silky voice came from somewhere in the vicinity of doorway, he was blocking the only exit she knew of; "If you would just talk to me, I could explain. Come on Sabina, you know you can't stay away from me forever."

The statement had her rankled and she immediately responded; cursing her too-quick temper as it forced her to reveal her hiding place. "I can't stay away? I could easily stay away from you, and I will. You really expect to get me back after what you did?"

She slowly rose from behind the counter and faced the man she had no business being involved with, but had fallen for his charm nonetheless. His shoulder length white blond hair was dishevelled from their chase, his fitted robes showed off his broad shoulders and well-built chest (deeply exaggerated by his rapid breathing slowly settling to a normal rate) and his steel grey eyes pierced as his gaze fell on her. A gaze that had previously made her weak in the knees and was probably the cause of her current predicament, she thought. She seemed to see nothing else but his eyes when he looked at her like that, not even what should have been blatantly obvious to someone as intelligent as herself.

But now she knew the truth. And she purposefully kept her eyes on the emerald green and silver serpent clasp of his robes instead and added in a regretful whisper; "I trusted you Draco. Even after so many had warned me against you, I trusted that you wouldn't repeat your father's mistakes. I risked everything for you. When my father finds out what I've done and for whom, I don't know if he'll ever forgive me."

Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at Draco Malfoy almost imploringly, "How will he even bear to look at me after I very nearly ruined everything he's worked his whole life to achieve? I thought I would be helping people, I thought you wanted to help our kind. But you don't, you want to bring back the old mindset, you want to bring back the horrors of the past!"

Draco took a step forward and opened his mouth to respond. "Don't you come one step closer you bastard! Or I'll hex you!" She cried aiming her wand at his chest.

Draco stayed where he was, he had to placate her, she was their only hope, and she was too special not to have on their side. "This has nothing to do with the old ways Sabina, this is the way forward, can't you see. We will be helping our kind, this is the only way the wizarding world will be safe. My father..."

But he could get no further for sparks suddenly shoot from Sabina's wand as she screamed; "_**Your father**_ is a conniving, demented megalomaniac who should've died with the Dark Lord those many years ago!"

"You know nothing of my father!" Draco finally raised his wand in response to hers. "Lucuis Malfoy is a great man; he will be the saviour of our world. The entire wizarding world will bow before him in thanks!"

Sabina watched as a sudden crazed look came across Draco's face. "Bow? _**Bow?**_ Is that what he wants? And you say he has no aspirations to follow in Voldermort's footsteps?"

Draco's face twisted in rage; "My father is nothing like that monstrosity and unlike him, my farther will succeed."

Draco slipped so quickly back into the cool and calm persona Sabina had always admired, it was almost shocking. "Now come my pet, stop this foolishness and let me take you back to the manor. We can talk about this like civilised people and once you've seen reason, we can have the house-elves bring up strawberries and the truffles you like so much. You've had a long day, let me help you relax. You know I know exactly what you need"

He was moving closer as he spoke and there was that gaze again, Sabina noted, accompanied by a lascivious smile that spread across his full lips. She was smart enough to know he'd been at this game much longer than she had and though he was almost twenty years her senior and she was younger and faster, he would probably best her in an out-and-out duel. So she took the chance she saw, she didn't even bother to reply as she cast a first spell in his direction.

Draco being the seasoned duellist he was, quickly dove to the side, but luckily for her, ended up hitting his shoulder heavily against the corner of a display case, dropping his wand in the process. Taking advantage of his momentary distraction Sabina ran further into the shadows of the store, thinking of a way to escape.

What little moonlight was streaming in through the few high window in the store helped her as she ran through the narrow aisles, knocking artefacts off their shelves as she twisted and flung her wand around every so often to ensure he was not yet behind her. She came to the end of the aisle finding a thick curtain hanging in the centre of the wall directly opposite, _**probably hiding a storeroom**_, she thought. Draco had finally retrieved his wand and she could now hear him prowling the store looking for her.

She tried to calm her breathing and racked her brain on what to do next, when she saw a flash of blond in the next aisle through a gap in the shelves. She had no choice. As quietly as she could she moved towards the curtain, brushed it aside and slipped into the unknown behind it.

It was some sort of storeroom she noted, and perhaps there was a back exit somewhere in here. It was rather cramped and she had to watch her step for there were many boxes and other artefacts littering the floor.

She moved deeper inside, moving behind a pile of boxes and crouching low, squinting her eyes in the dark to try and find some door she could escape through.

A sudden change in light told he Draco had lifted the curtain discovered the storeroom too. She cursed under her breath and sunk further into the dark, not even daring to breath for fear of being found. Her backside hit the wall and she crouched down on her haunches as he began to address her.

His tone was now strained, barely hiding his irritation. "This has gone far enough Sabina; I refuse to keep playing this childish game of hide and seek. Either you come out now or I blast everything in this room until I find you, even if it has to be crushed under a pile of debris" The last part was spoken in a cold, deadly serious tone.

She was trapped, and for the first time that night she felt actually scarred of what he'd do to her. Panicking she looked around desperately hoping against hope something could save her. _**Why hadn't I just stayed in my cosy bed at Hogwarts instead of sneaking out again? Damn the women in our family and their obsession with older men!**_ She thought, and she would have laughed at that last statement if she hadn't been so close to tears.

She thought she saw a slight movement in the corner of her eye and had to wipe the unshed tears away in order to see properly. On her left was a medium sized cabinet with its door facing her. If she were standing it would probably take her up to her hip. On the door were ornate carvings of intricate patterns in the wood and set in the middle, made of a different darker wood was a snake with deep prominent scales and black opal stones for eyes. The eyes where blinking at her, they looked somehow alive.

She knew if she kept crouched this way she could probably fit into the cabinet. And even though it would do little to save her, it was her only option at the moment, she could see no other.

"Sabina!" Draco snarled; he was getting angrier by the second. "You are trying my patience girl. Use that renowned brain of yours, you have nowhere to go. Come out here or I will count down from ten before I start blasting!"

As he spoke, Sabina noticed his voice getting slightly softer, he was moving in the wrong direction, away from her.

"Ten!" he started.

It was now or never. She gripped the silver serpent style handled and pulled...but the door wouldn't budge.

"Nine!"

She tried again, but nothing happened.

"Eight!"

She tried a wordless Alohomora,

"Seven!"

Still nothing happened.

"Six!"

She tried all the other unlocking spells she knew in quick succession.

"Five!"

Still the stubborn door would not open.

"Four!"

The tears where now running freely and unchecked down her cheeks. Those black opal eyes seemed to be mocking her efforts.

"Three!"

No, not mocking...communicating? _**Could it be?**_

"TWO!"

She knew she was grasping at straws really, oh well...if it didn't work at least she'd know she tried everything. _**And I mean everything**_, she though, her eyes locking with the shiny black ones in front of her as she let out a soft desperate hiss at the same time as Draco shouted;

"ONE!"

The events that followed seem to happen all at once in her mind. She heard the cabinet unlocking and door swung open just as Draco made a sharp turn in her direction and ran towards her. She clambered into the cabinet and had just enough time to see his face, which she had lovingly caressed so often, now red and twisted with rage as the door swung shut in front of her.

She was dizzy with adrenaline and saw flashes of light through the gaps between the wood. The lights were a brilliant kaleidoscope of colours and she briefly wondered just what spells Draco was using. She hoped with all her might that Draco's curses wouldn't penetrate her seemingly fragile wooden shield. The flashes continued for almost a minute before they stopped. She was shaking and pressed her trembling hands to her face.

She really couldn't remember how long she had stayed in that position in the cabinet. Rocking back and forth, anticipating that any second now the door would be pulled open and she'd be yanked unceremoniously out of her hiding place by her angry ex-lover. And as the time moved on and the adrenaline wore off, she slowly slipped into sleep due to exhaustion.

When Sabina woke up she could hardly breathe. The cabinet was so small and she was never a fan of feeling in anyway confined.

She listened closely for any sound or movement outside, but could hear none. She knew there was a good chance Draco was still out there, but if she didn't get out of the cabinet soon she felt like she'd lose consciousness. So it was either die of suffocation or risk being captured. Maybe if she was captured she's have another chance to escape at some point.

She slowly placed both her palms on the oddly warm wooden door and pushed. As she'd expected it didn't open.

She lifted her wand, ready to cast if the need arose. She focussed her mind, picturing once again the blinking shiny black eyes of the snake on the other side of the door and let out the same low hiss as before. _**"Open"**_ she said in Parseltongue, an ability that utterly confused and perplexed (_**and scared**_, she thought grudgingly) everyone she knew.

Like before the lock clicked and the door swung open and she was forced to shield her eyes from the sudden light streaming in from outside. _**Have I been asleep that long? Can it really be morning already?**_ She quickly stretched out her wand arm trying desperately to get her eyes use to the light so that she could protect herself if he was waiting for her. When she could finally see and nothing had yet tried to grab her or attack her, she slowly began to crawl out of the cabinet.

She stood up quickly, turning a full 360 degrees to make sure she was safe. _**Maybe he went to get help or something**_. She knew she had to get out of there fast. She moved towards the thick curtain and slowly pulled it back.

Her wand was already raised half way, when she realised the man standing with his back facing her was definitely not Draco Malfoy. The top of his head was bold and he was hunched over from old age, his robes hung loosely from his thin frame and it was made from a tatty, ugly brown fabric no Malfoy would be seen dead in. He was standing at the counter, the quill he was writing with slightly shaking as his hand moved across the parchment.

She moved fully out from behind the curtain now, her wand still at the ready, just in case.

She tried to slip into the aisle in front of her without him noticing, but he was surprisingly quick and alert for his age. "Hey, you there! What where you doing in my storeroom? Who are you?" He asked in a gravelly voice.

His wand was aimed directly at her chest, she had to think quickly. "Um...I work for from your supplier; they had me deliver some goods for you. You weren't here when I came in so I just dropped them in your storeroom." She knew it was a lame excuse even before the words left her mouth.

"Don't try your luck with me girlie! I've been standing at this counter all morning. Now you better spill it before I hex you for trespassing." He narrowed his eyes at her. _**Good god**_, she thought, _**from one hopeless situation to another!**_ "I...I...um..."

Just then the front door opened and the old man turned his attention towards the new comer. Sabina ran as fast as she could down the aisle towards the door. The old man shouted and started throwing hexes at her back, which luckily hit his merchandise instead.

The man, who provided Sabina with such a timely distraction, was in such shock at the sudden happenings inside the store that he stood frozen to the spot, conveniently still holding the door open. She dodged a near missing hex and flew out of the store, down Knockturn Alley and into Diagon Alley, which was surprisingly full for this time of the morning.

She ran into the crowd of people hoping to lose the old man. She had run so fast and so blindly that she had no idea if he was still following her or not. After a full five minutes of shoving her way down the street and looking over her shoulder, she finally settled and tried to calm herself. Once she got to a quieter less populated area she breathed one last long breath of relief and apparated to Hogsmeade.

The moment she landed in High Street she got the uneasy feeling that something was wrong. There were too many Hogwarts students walking around. It was Thursday morning; they were all supposed to be getting ready for classes. She couldn't understand it, it seemed like it was a typical Hogsmeade weekend, the way the students were behaving but how could that be. Unless she had somehow managed to sleep two full days in that cabinet at Borgin and Burkes and that really was not possible.

She looked around for someone she recognised, but saw none. She started down the High Street hoping she'd come across someone who could help her. She was just about to stop a short, chubby little boy she didn't recognise, _**must be a third year**_, when she heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks...

"Hey Harry, let's go to Zonko's, Hermione's at the Quill shop again buying more parchment. From the amount of notes she takes, no wonder she's always buying more! She'll probably be a while"

Sabina slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice, a voice she would know anywhere, Ron's voice. And once she'd located him, easily enough given his unmistakable red head raised above everyone else's, she saw another face that made the colour drain from her cheeks. A face she had never seen before, except in photos. The face of Harry Potter. _**Something is definitely wrong!  
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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She had meant them to leave her alone really. She wasn't planning on spending her entire day following them around Hogsmeade looking at Quidditch displays and browsing for sweets at Zonko's. So she'd used a technique that always seemed to work. She went into a store that held absolutely no interest for them, like the quill shop and spent as much time there as it took for them to get utterly bored and decide to leave her to it and go off on their own.

It's not that Hermione didn't enjoy the company of her two best friends, she really did, but sometimes a girl just needed time by herself. Once Harry and Ron had left her, ensuring she'd know where to find them, ("We'll be at Zonko's", Ron had shouted way too loudly from the doorway of the quiet little shop), she sent a further twenty minutes stocking up on more parchment and refilling her ink supplies.

She stepped out of the shop and peered down the street. _**Good, they've gone she thought.**_ Now maybe she could start reading the book she'd purchased earlier on the art of Animagi while she waited for them in the Three Broomsticks.

She started rummaging in her packages while she walked, she couldn't wait to get started on her new book, when she walk straight into someone standing in the middle of the pavement. "Good grief, I'm sorry. I didn't see you there"

The girl who stood before her looked to be not much older than Hermione herself, yet she did not recognise her from Hogwarts. She was wearing a tight fitting jeans and a blue and white striped shirt. She was taller than Hermione, lean and thinner as well, with sleek black hair that curled slightly and big black eyes. She had a pale complexion, which seemed almost unnaturally pale at that moment. She wasn't traditionally pretty but there was something rather striking about her. What took Hermione most by surprise was the look of utter fear on her face. "Are you alri...?"

Hermione didn't get to finish as the girl before her started shaking her head viciously from side to side and spoke; "No, no, no, no, no, no...What...? How...?" the girl seemed at a loose for further words as she stared at Hermione.

Hermione was so confused by the girl's reaction she was tempted to turn her head to see if there wasn't a Death Eater standing behind her or something equally as frightening. She didn't know what she could have done to cause the girl to act this way.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she felt the need to clarify, "and you are?" The girl in front of her staggered a bit as if she were going to faint but answered nonetheless; "Sabina..."

Hermione reached out and grabbed Sabina's forearm to steady her and said in a worried voice; "Are you ill Sabina? Where do you live? I think you need to see a mediwitch. There's one just up there at our school," she pointed in the direction of the Hogwarts. "It's not far from here, where are your parents?"

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out and so Hermione started leading her towards the school. Sabina seemed too confused or too dumbfounded to speak and followed without resistance.

Hermione kept looking to her side, where the strange girl walked beside her, not bothering to ask any more questions. Sabina didn't seem in a state to answer them anyway.

As they reached the gates of Hogwarts, Hermione said; "We're almost there, I'll take you straight up to the infirmary."

Finally Sabina seemed to find her voice and responded; "No, I think I need to see the Headmistress."

"Head_**mistress**_? We don't have a headmistress at Hogwarts, we have a Headmaster. Professor Dumbledore. I could take you to him if you'd like."

"Yes...yes. Please." Sabina did not speak again as Hermione lead the way into the castle.

They didn't meet anyone on their way, as most of the students and teachers were still in Hogsmeade and the rest were probably in their common rooms. Hermione and Sabina walked silently through the corridors until they reached the stone gargoyles guarding the Headmaster's office and Hermione spoke the password.

The moved up the spiral staircase and Hermione knocked when they reached wooden door. "Enter," came the voice of the Headmaster, and Hermione stepped inside, followed, a little reluctantly she noted, by Sabina.

"Ah, Miss Granger, I thought you'd still be at Hogsmeade. Our Head Girl must be there to supervise as well."

"I was there Professor, but I've brought someone to see you."

Hermione looked over at the girl behind her, but seeing that Sabina didn't seem able to speak once again, she continued, "I bumped into to her in High Street, but she doesn't seem well Professor. She seemed frightened and panicked. I wanted to take her to the infirmary but she insisted on seeing you instead."

Dumbledore examined to girl over his half-moon spectacles thoughtfully, "Are you quite well, Miss...?"

Sabina didn't answer; she just simple stared at Dumbledore, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"She says her name is Sabina," Hermione provided, her concern clearly heard in voice.

"Miss Granger, I think I can take it from here. Why don't you try and enjoy what's left of your day, perhaps go back to Hogsmeade. I'm sure Harry and Ron are waiting for you. I'll call for you if I need your further assistance."

Hermione didn't really want to go, her curiosity about the girl made her itch to find out what was going on. But she knew better than to argue with the Headmaster.

"Yes Professor. But I don't think I'll go back to Hogsmeade, if you don't mind. Ernie's there to supervise and they've only two hours left. I'll be in the library if you need me."

Dumbledore nodded his head and both he and Sabina watched as Hermione walked out of the office and closed the door behind her.

The Headmaster turned his attention back to the girl in front of him, who he noticed was still watching the closed door with a mixture of longing and confusion.

"Sabina is it?" he started. "Please have a seat. How can I be of assistance?"

Sabina walked towards the chair Dumbledore had indicated, sat down and promptly put her head in her hands.

"I don't know if you can help me professor. I don't understand how this could have happened" Her voice was muffled as she spoke.

"Let us start at the beginning shall where," said Dumbledore gentle, "Tell me, where are you from?"

Sabina looked up, the wet trail of her tears shined on her face. She looked straight into the Headmasters eyes and said as steadily as she could; "The twenty-first century, sir. 2015, to be exact."

Sabina was sure, from what she'd been told, that the sight before her was rare indeed. Albus Dumbledore stared at her, mouth almost agape with a shocked look in his eyes.

"Severus Snape?" he couldn't quite disguise the tremble in his voice. "Well, that certainly changes things. We were certain..."

He seemed to be speaking to himself until he looked up and saw the confusion in Sabina's face. He cleared his throat and quickly masked the expression he'd let slip when she had told him her name full name was Sabina Snape.

"So, tell me dear, how it is that you've managed to send yourself back in time? A time-turner perhaps?"

"No sir, I don't really know how I ended up here. One minute I'm in a cabinet in Borgin and Burkes and the next thing I know I'm here.

"Why were you _**in**_ a cabinet? And in Borgin and Burkes of all places?' Dumbledore eyed her suspiciously, he wasn't yet sure what to make of her yet.

Sabina felt the change in his demeanour, but she was desperate for help and so she had to make him understand.

"Well sir, you see,"

She was interrupted when Dumbledore held up his hand and shook his head, a pensive look on his face. "I think, my dear, it would be best if you not tell me what happened. I know too much already."

"But sir, I need your help to get back. Please sir!"

"Yes, yes, I will try to help you but I must do so on blind faith. It's been my experience that sharing knowledge across time and space is not always a good idea. What little you have told me already changes quite a lot. Now, what to do? What to do?" He seemed to be talking to himself once again.

Sabina didn't know what to say. Dumbledore was a strange man indeed.

"Ah yes!" Sabina jumped as he abruptly stood from behind his desk and walked towards her.

"We'll simply send you back the way you came. Come dear, give me your hand."

"Sir?"

"We'll apparate there. Borgin and Burkes you said?"

"Yes sir, but...umm...well, I was in a bit of a dangerous situation when I climbed into the cabinet, if you send me back, will I reappear at the same moment?"

Now Dumbledore raised his eyebrow at her, his suspicions growing, "A dangerous situation?"

Sabina dropped her eyes from his, "Yes sir."

"I don't know what will happen. But I can not speculate without the necessary information. Let me examine this cabinet of yours and we can decide what to do from there, yes?'

'Yes sir.' She walked to Dumbledore's out stretched hand but stopped before taking it.

'Sir, I thought you can't apparate inside Hogwarts?'

'Well, being me has its privileges,' Dumbledore smiled indulgently.

Sabina couldn't help smiling back as she took the Headmasters hand and the felt the tug of apparition almost immediately. When she opened her eyes again they were standing just outside the door to Borgin and Burkes.

Dumbledore stepped up and opened the door, Sabina walking in behind him. She instantly recognised the old man once again standing behind the counter. She groaned inwardly, she'd forgotten about him

'Borgin.' Dumbledore greeted. Sabina noted his tone was significantly colder than it had been before.

'Dumbledore!' The old man almost shrieked more in surprise than in greeting and looked very anxious as he nervously swept his eyes around his shop as if looking to see if there was anything about that could get him in trouble.

'What can I do for you Dumbledore? It's been quite a while since you've visited my shop.'

'Yes well, since you haven't heeded my previous request to stock lemon drops, I'm afraid I have to do my shopping elsewhere.'

The old man gave a wan forced smile which abruptly faded as he spotted the girl standing behind Dumbledore.

'You!' he grimaced in anger as he stepped around his counter pointing a wrinkled stubby finger at Sabina.

Dumbledore turned to regard her once again with a suspicious look, 'You've met?'

'One of your students, Dumbledore? I should have known. Sneaking in here, stealing from me!'

'I didn't steal anything!' Sabina looked imploringly up at Dumbledore. 'Sir, the cabinet was at the back in the storeroom. When I tried to leave the store this man saw me.'

"Lair, you were up to something I know it...Wait, what cabinet?'

'I would like to see your storeroom Mr. Borgin. This young lady is in need of help and the answer might be in there.'

'You will not set a foot in that room. That's my private business, that is.' Borgin turned red with rage.

Dumbledore raised himself to his fullest height and seemed to become even more imposing in front of their very eyes. Borgin cringed and took a few steps back, looking fearful.

'Mr. Borgin, I have informed you that this young lady is in need of help. She has told you that she has not stolen from you and I happen to believe her. Due to an unfortunate incident she ended up in your storeroom this morning, neither she nor I fully explain it. If you will allow me into your storeroom now we might be able to come up with some answers. If not, I'll have to seek the assistance of the Ministry in the matter. I'm sure they'll be able to send a few Aurors right away.'

'Aurors?' Borgin looked wildly around his shop again. He cleared his throat and said, 'Now, now needn't bother the Ministry with this sort of thing when we're all quite capable of solving this problem ourselves.' He cleared his throat again, 'yes, let me show you the way.'

He gestured with his hand toward the heavy curtain that hung on the wall to the side of the counter allowing Dumbledore to precede him inside. Before Sabina could follow in after him, Borgin narrowed his eyes and threw her a baleful look.

Sabina pushed the curtain aside and entered the storeroom looking around immediately.

'Right my dear, point me to the cabinet.'

Sabina had already been looking for it though and noticed at once that it was not where it had previously been. She looked around frantically.

'Sabina?' Dumbledore's concern piqued at the girls frightened expression.

Sabina started moving about the room, moving boxes out of her way; she even started to open some of the bigger ones to look inside.

'Now see here,' Borgin voice was indignant as he spoke, 'you can't go around manhandling my merchandise like that. Dumbledore, what is all this about?'

'Just a moment Borgin. Sabina what's going on? Where is the cabinet?'

Sabina spun on her heels having now looked through every inch of the small storeroom. She turned tearful eyes on Dumbledore, which then hardened instantly as she looked towards Borgin. She moved menacingly towards him, wand raised.

'Where is it? What have you done with it?'

Borgin was so taken aback by the anguish in her voice that he faltered and looked up to Dumbledore in confusion.

'Mr Borgin, we are looking for the cabinet that was in this room this morning.'

'Cabinet what cabinet? I don't remember having any cabinet in here. There's one out in the shop proper, but I haven't moved it in years.'

'His lying!' Sabina cried, not able to hold back any longer.

Dumbledore stepped towards her and put a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a calming voice, 'Now dear, let us not jump to conclusions. Why don't you explain to us how the cabinet looked?'

Sabina tried to compose herself and took in a shuddering breath before she attempted to speak. She looked at Dumbledore instead of Borgin so as not to be tempted to hex him.

'It was about this height,' she held her hand above the floor at hip level, 'and it was made of a brown wood with patterns carved in it. There was a snake on the door, in a darker wood, with black shiny eyes...' she faltered a bit as she remembered the blinking eyes and what that had meant to her. 'And the handle was in the shape of a snake too.'

Dumbledore looked at Sabina thoughtfully. The description sent off warning bells and he could tell Sabina wasn't telling them the whole truth.

'I've never seen a cabinet like that before. Never. It does sound interesting though' Borgin's interest was piqued by the description as well and in his experience it sounded like exactly the kind of cabinet he would have in his shop.

Sabina finally looked at Borgin and even though she didn't want to admit it, she could tell he was not lying. She turned her eyes back to Dumbledore, not sure what to do now.

'I am sorry to have wasted your time Mr. Borgin. Obviously what we seek is not in your possession. Thank you for allowing us to look around.'

'Wait, you can't just leave like that without telling me what all this was about.' Borgin seethed.

'Oh, I'm afraid we can and we will. It's a very delicate matter you see and if you do not know about the cabinet you cannot help us. However, if you do come across anything resembling Sabina's description, do contact me and I may be inclined to tell you more. Good day, Mr. Borgin.'

Sabina didn't even bother to look back at the old man as she followed Dumbledore out of the storeroom and then out of the shop itself. She was too devastated. Once in the Knockturn Alley, she looked at Dumbledore with shiny eyes, 'What now sir?'

'Now we return to Hogwarts dear, we can discuss it further there.'

Dumbledore reached up and tentatively took her upper arm in his hand and disapparated.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

She knew, when she saw Dumbledore reaching for the warn and tattered sorting hat that she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She sighed heavily. If she were honest with herself she knew it would come to this.

"You do understand Miss Snape, that there is a level of secrecy that will come with this choice." It was the first words Dumbledore had spoken since they left Borgin and Burkes. Sabina felt a stab of annoyance that he seemed to take for granted her acquiescence to his "solution" but what other choice did she have.

"For one, we'll have to come up with a name that won't raise as much suspicion as that of Snape. Do you have any preferences?"

"Bergman." She sighed after a short pause. "It was the name of my mother's favourite actress"

The headmaster raised his head just a fraction at the mention of her mother but said nothing further on the topic, instead he dropped his head into a nod and reached for the sorting hat he had placed on his desk. He rose and slowly walked to her.

"Naturally you are familiar with this process; I feel that as years go by, we are affected by our environment and the situations we find ourselves in. It would be best to sort you again, as to make sure you are in the most conducive environment for as long as you are with us. For as long as it takes us to get you back home of course." Before he placed the hat on her head however he paused, "and trust me when I say, my dear that I will be doing my utmost to get you back to where you belong"  
>As far as Sabina could remember her first sorting went a lot faster than this one. She almost started to wonder if it was working at all when she heard the sing song voice in her head. The sorting hat did not speak to her when she was first sorted. She frowned at its words.<p>

"Umm...tough choice"

"What do you mean choice, there was no choice the first time!" Sabina shouted, she wasn't sure if she'd said it out loud or just in her head, but she was already so tightly strung she didn't think she could take any more surprises today.

The sorting hat seemed to ignore her outburst completely as it continued to make sounds of uncertainty in her ears. Finally it seemed to come to a conclusion as it said out loud; "Well let it be Ravenclaw then" but Sabina couldn't help noticing the lack of conviction in its decision.  
>Once the hat was removed she knew the headmaster must have noted its tone as well as he seemed to frown at her for a second before turning to place the hat back on its shelf. "You are in Ravenclaw in your time too I trust."<p>

"Yes sir," Sabina responded, "I was made prefect last year"

"Ah," was his only response before he went back to his chair behind his desk.

"There is not much more we can do about your situation today unfortunately. There is some petty cash in the schools budget, I will provide you with some money so that you may buy school supplies, clothes and any other essentials you may need. Tomorrow I think I'll get someone to escort you to Hogsmead. For now I will call for a prefect to take you back to Ravenclaw tower and get you settled, you will sleep in the dormitories with the other 7th years."

"They will also be able to enlighten you on your class schedule and so on. I am certain that even 15 years from now, out school rules will not have changed that much, so these of course will still apply to you. I will call for you again soon when I have had time to think about your problem and hopefully I will have some plan of action by then."

Sabina sat silently in her chair, staring at her lap willing her tears not to come just yet. She knew he was trying to help, she knew it was the best choice for now, but all she wanted was to just go home.

"Miss Snape, or shall I call you Miss Bergman, please look at me." When she raised her head, the look of concern and sympathy in the Headmasters eyes nearly broke her resolve not to cry. "I know this is difficult, but I am afraid there is more difficulty ahead and you have to be strong. With the war going on, these are sensitive times and you have to make sure that we do not affect the natural flow of events here. I will ask you please not to speak anyone else about the true nature of your situation except me. No one must know who you really are and where you come from, especially not Severus."

At the mention of her father's name her tears finally broke free. "But sir..."

"No Sabina, Severus has an integral part to play in this war, as I'm sure you know. We cannot afford to let him loose focus. I will find a way to get you back to your time as soon as I can but in the interim, we cannot risk doing anything that could jeopardise our chances of victory. You should know Severus would not want that either"

Of course she knew how important this war was to her father, being the daughter of a war hero (of two actually) had had quite the effect on her, in fact she was certain it was part of the reason she was in this mess in the first place. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

"Good. Then we will say that you are an exchange student from Beauxbatons, who lost her way (and her trunk) on route to the school. That would explain why you were so upset when Miss Granger found you. I will go and find a student to take you up to the tower, in the mean time you may want to try and compose yourself my dear, you will have to be quite the actress for the time being."

He said nothing further as he swept out of the room, leaving Sabina to wonder how on earth she was going to pull this off.

Hermione was burning with curiosity. The headmaster had not called her back to his office and she was dying to know what had become of the girl she had found in Hogsmead. She had spent the entire afternoon in the library, studying before Harry had found her and proceeded to berate her for leaving Hogsmead without telling them and making him worry.

"I still can't believe you just left like that Hermione, you know its dangerous out there, what were you thinking going off by yourself like that" Harry asked as they made their way into the Great Hall for dinner.

She did feel guilty for upsetting them so, but really, she felt she was capable of looking after herself and didn't need to be treated like a toddler; "I said I was sorry Harry, how many more times do you need to hear it. And I also told you I wasn't alone"

"Yes, this mysterious girl you found wondering the streets. Don't you think that's a tad suspicious Hermione, you can't just go helping strangers, what if it was a trap, what if..."

Hermione cut him off with a tight grip on his forearm when she noticed said "mysterious girl" sitting beside Luna Lovegood at the Ravenclaw table.

"There she is Harry! The girl sitting next to Luna."

"Well lets go over there then" Harry said as her lead the way towards the Ravenclaws. But before they could get halfway across the room, Dumbledore's magically amplified voice sounded throughout the hall.

"Attention children, I have an announcement to make. Please seat yourselves at your tables quickly."

All students hurriedly moved to their house tables and seated themselves as the Headmaster waited for them to settle and the noise to die down before he continued. "Before we enjoy this lovely meal provided for us, (and I do love sweet potatoes!)," he said as he looked down on the assortment of food the house-elves had provided for dinner, "I would like to welcome our new exchange student from Beauxbatons Academy, Miss Sabina Bergman. Please stand Miss Bergman."

Every head in the Great Hall turned to look as the tall dark haired girl slowly rose from her seat, she kept her gaze on Dumbledore however, and Hermione couldn't help but notice the solemn look in her eyes.

"Thank you Miss Bergman, I trust that you will enjoy your stay here with us and I trust that every student will do their utmost to make you feel welcome, as is the Hogwarts way. I also trust that you will quite enjoy the sweet potatoes, so...dig in children"

As Dumbledore seated himself at the head table the noise in the hall grew as the students discussed the news of the new exchange student, "Since when does Hogwarts accept exchange students?" Harry asked as he started dishing food into his plate.

Hermione was however still looking at the girl in question. There had never been an exchange student program set up at Hogwarts in all the years they had been at the school, and as far as she could remember she had never read about such a programme in Hogwarts: A History. As she started in on her own plate (sans sweet potatoes as she couldn't stand them) she couldn't shake the feeling that there was far more going on than what the Headmaster had just said.

Maybe if he concentrated on the sceptical of colours and lights below him, it would take his mind off the searing stabbing pains hitting him from every direction. The street beneath him was wet from earlier rains, turning the tar into a quasi-mirror, reflecting the orange and red flames devouring the suburban house behind him. He could still see Death Eaters in his peripheral vision, throwing spell after spell at the already destroyed home of some nameless, blameless and now surely dead muggle family. The green dark mark directly above him shone an eerie glow over the scene, floating in the night sky like some sentinel God, overlooking his worshippers.

"You disappoint me Severus. I am beginning to think you may not be ready to join my inner circle."  
>The Dark Lord stood in the middle of the street, looking down at a quivering prostrated Severus Snape with a malicious glint in his eyes. He seemed to ignore his other followers prancing around him and rejoicing in the destruction they had cause.<p>

"My lord," Severus croaked with a voice hoarse from screams he didn't remember issuing, "I was simply looking out for us my Lord. Someone had to make sure we would not get caught."

"How valiant of you, Severus. To care for your brothers so much that you deem to be the "look out" at each one of these little missions. That you would constantly deny yourself the pleasures of these activities simply to ensure that we do not, how did you put it? Get caught?"

Hate could not begin to describe how Severus felt about times like these. The Cruciatus he could bare, the broken bones and deep gushing wounds could be healed, but having to submit himself to this...man. Having to bow his head and go on his knees, start every sentence and end every sentence with the loathsome phrase of "my lord" were things that made his skin crawl. He was amazed sometime at how long he'd been able to pull this off without once taking a sharp blade to his wrist and ending it all.

Another bout of the cruciatus hit him, this time directly in the middle of his spine to keep him from standing up, as he was trying to do at that point. "These missions are my way of sending a message to the world. My way of not only putting fear in the hearts of my enemies but also a way of rewarding my followers. Imagine how it must feel to show up here anticipating the enjoyment of those I deem most worthy of the rewards I can bestow, and finding one of them standing out in the street, separating himself, not participating and seemingly indifferent to my cause. Can you imagine my disappointment Severus? It makes me think you do not enjoy what we do. It makes me think you do not really want to be one of us"

"My lord, furthering your cause is my only objective, I simply thought..."

"Enough! Tell me this, my son, are you or are you not one of us?"

Lord Voldermort reached down and took Severus' chin between his fingers, forcing his head upwards until their eyes locked.

"Do you want to be a part of my inner circle, one of my most worthy?"

"Yes...My lord." Severus' breathy reply was said both out loud as well as deep in the recesses of his mind were Voldermort could see it as the truth. Then you will have to show yourself capable of doing what needs to be done, of revelling in what a Death Eater should most revel in...in showing his power over those of less worth!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ron was a prat! There was no nicer way to put it, _**not that he cares to censor himself when it comes to his option of me**_, Hermione thought as she stalked through the empty hallway with a scowl. As if to add insult to injury her stomach growled loudly announcing it's disappointment that she didn't even manage to finish her coffee before she stormed out of the Great Hall without a backwards at her friends or her untouched breakfast.

"_**Hermione you have to stop being so bossy or no bloke will ever want to marry you**_. The nerve! As if he's such a catch." she muttered to herself as she rounded a corner on her way to the library. All she was trying to do was ensure they didn't get into trouble for not completing their assignments. She was doing it for their benefit; she always did it for their benefit.

"Let's see if I ever offer to look over his essays again. He can get a T in every subject for all I care. What did I ever see in that boy!" She gave Madam Pince an apologetic look as she passed by the matron's desk, realizing that she had reached her destination and had best stop talking to herself lest people think she had gone crazy or worse still; be thrown out by Madam Pince herself for disturbing the peace of what she most likely considered her most sacred sanctum.

She continued her berating of Ron, silently this time, as she made her way to her favourite spot in the back of the library where a beautiful window overlooked the lake and allowed just enough light in to be comfortable yet also conducive to some serious study sessions. She did not have to give much thought to where she was going as she knew the way by heart having walked the path at least once a day for the last seven years that she'd been at Hogwarts. She had first period free and planned to do some studying before her classes started

She stopped dead in her tracks however, when she realized that her favourite spot was not available to her today. Sitting in the chair Hermione considered to be hers was the girl that had not truly left her thoughts for the past two days.

Sabina lifted her head when she sensed someone standing close by but seemed once again to have lost her ability to speak when she saw who it was. It was as if she was struck struck dumb by sight of the Gryffindor. Hermione was starting to wonder if she should be offended by the affect she seemed to have on the girl.

"Hello," she said, feeling the need to break the awkward silence. "Sabina right? I'm Hermione." She winced inwardly at how stupid that sounded.

"I remember," Sabina finally answered after what seem like an abnormally long pause. Clearing her throat and looking away she added, "I...um...I wanted to thank you for bringing me up to the school when you found me in Hogsmead. I'm sure I wouldn't have known where to go if you didn't"

Hermione couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable the girl seemed to be around her and so sat down on the chair on the other side of the table in an attempt to make herself seem more approachable. "That's okay, no need to thank me. You looked terribly lost and frightened, I wouldn't have just left you there." No longer able to hold back her curiosity, she added; "but, it's just...and I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did end up there at all? I mean, it doesn't make sense. If you were meant to come to Hogwarts as an exchange student, surely they would have sent someone to get you at the train station or something."

Sabina glanced quickly up at Hermione but looked away again as soon as they made eye contact. "It's my own fault really; I wanted to prove my independence and ended up in a situation I couldn't handle." But of course Hermione would completely miss the true meaning behind those words.

Spurred on by the kind and understanding look Hermione was directing at her, Sabina continued. "I took the Hogwarts Express by myself and it arrived at Hogsmead station earlier than scheduled, but instead of waiting for someone from the staff to come and get me, I thought I could get to the school by myself too." Sabina was very surprised at how easily these lies were formulating themselves in mind.

"I found myself in the middle of town before I knew it, I knew I had to be a bit lost but I just kept going, hoping I would find my way somehow. Only I wondered down the wrong street. Apparently it's Hogsmead's alternative to Knockturn Alley." she chanced another look in Hermione's direction and seeing no sign that the older girl was at all suspicious, continued with her impromptu tale.

"To cut a long story short, a hag approached me, trying to sell some rather grotesque looking items and the next thing I know, my trunk was being snatched out of my hands, and rather nasty looking wizard had his wand pointed at me. They seemed to be in on it together, told me not to try my luck and just run off before something really bad happens to me, so I did. I ran back out into the main road and well, that's when you found me."

Hermione's expression was horrified, as she reached out and lay a hand on Sabina's arm, "Oh my, you must have been so scared. Why didn't you say anything to me then, we could have alerted the authorities."

"I was in shock I guess, not to mention feeling very stupid about getting myself in that situation in the first place" she looked up to see the concern and sympathy in Hermione's eyes and felt a stab of guilt.

"Don't worry though; Professor Dumbledore's taken care of everything. And I've learned my lesson." She gave Hermione what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Still, it must have been quite the experience, and to have to go through that all alone and so far away from home. I mean, if France _**is **_your home? Your accent is British though, so...?". She knew she was prying now, but she was just too curious about the new comer.

"I only attend school there, my parents thought it would be better for me to attend Beauxbatons because most of my family's originally from France," she lied. The ease at which she could do it was starting to scare her, but she knew it was a necessary evil. She simply only had to try and remember everything she'd said, so that she wouldn't contradict herself later on. She would also need to keep Professor Dumbledore aware of her little story so that he wouldn't say anything that would raise suspicions or give her away.

"But when this chance to come back home for a while came up, I had to take it. I had to be near my family given...well, I'm sure you know."

"Yes, the war, I can understand why you wanted come back and be near your family." Hermione had finally looked away from the girl sitting opposite her and stared unseeing out of the window as she replied, getting lost on her own thoughts.

Suddenly feeling as if she were intruding on rather personal moment, Sabina stood and started to gather up her bag and the book she'd been reading before Hermione came in.

Snapped out of her melancholy by Sabina's movement Hermione held out her hand, "Oh no, please don't go, we were just staring to get to know each other."

"Sorry, but I have to; I have class in five minutes, History of Magic. Besides, I know you came here to study, before you found me invading your spot." Sabina's smile faltered when she saw Hermione's expression change suddenly and she realized her own faux par.

"How did you know this was my spot?" Hermione's suspicion was made all the more clear by her tone.

"I, er... I mean, I thought it must be when I saw the look on your face as you arrived, you were surprised to find someone here, I just assumed it was because you didn't expect anyone else to be sitting here, that's all." she hoped she sounded more convincing to Hermione than she sounded to herself.

"I really do need to go now, it was nice getting to know you, and thanks again for Saturday. I'll see you around. Bye." she babbled anxiously, then quickly turned on her heels and sped out of the library, hoping Hermione wouldn't pursue either her or the subject.

~xxxxx~

His back was killing him. The indignity of what had happened to him over the weekend had left Snape with the irrational need to prove himself, and so he'd spent his Sunday alternating between brewing the most difficult potions he could think of and stalking the hall dishing out the harshest of punishments to any wrong doers he could find (speaking of which, he had to remember to split the 20 detentions he had meted out, between himself and Flitch, as there was no way he would over-see all of them himself. And he was sure Flitch would be overjoyed at the prospect of more students to terrorise).

His activities had left him with little time to rest and recuperate as Poppy has sternly ordered him to do when he'd gone to her Saturday night, and now he was paying the price. Stalking between the desks of his fourth period Newts class, he wondered if he could slip away for five minutes to fetch some of the extra strength pain reliving potion he had invented specifically for times such as these. They were only 15 minutes into a double period and not yet at a stage in brewing where something could go too badly wrong. But he discarded the idea just as soon as he'd had it. It would be just his luck that after all he had done to protect these children from the dangers that lurked outside the school's walls, to have one become seriously injured in an accident due to his lax care of them in his own potions classroom.

His Newts class was made up of students from all four houses, given that so few from each house had achieved high enough marks to get in. But that still didn't mean they were all completely capable when it came potion's making. _**Or anything else remotely note worthy**_, he thought ruefully. He knew the margin for error while brewing, especially at this level, was distinctly high and he just could not leave anything to chance. Especially with imbeciles such as Potter and Weasley in his class. How they had managed to get to Newts level was a complete mystery to him. _**No wait, not a mystery**_. He knew exactly how. It was all Granger's fault. He was sure the boys wouldn't even be able to tie their own shoe laces without that girl's help.

"Finely, Mr Cormac! The Dragon liver is meant to be finely sliced! Not butchered into chunks as if it were the dog's dinner."

He turned to the class at large, his ire increased by the stabbing pains in his back he could do nothing about. "The art of Potion's making requires a subtlety that very few of you, if any, possess. This is not the Quidditch pitch were brute force and sheer dumb luck will get you anywhere." At this he looked pointedly at Potter and Weasley.

"Nor is a place where simple book smarts and memory retention has any bearing on your ability at actual potions making." He let his gaze slowly slid past Granger, just long enough to be meaningful, "It is an art that is mastered through technique and skill. Skill that can only be honed through practice and patience, not just blundering through hoping you'll succeed."

He knew he was being unnecessarily cruel and he tried to rationalise his actions by telling himself it was their fault he was in this mood in the first place; _**the insufferable Golden Trio**_, but deep down he knew it wasn't true, he and he alone was to blame for what his life had become. This thought, however, only succeeded in making him more agitated and the need to lash out at someone became stronger. It was a vicious circle and he'd just found a fresh victim.

"This is also a classroom where each and every student is required to pay the utmost attention at all times, Miss Bergman."

His newest student, who had been staring into her cauldron while stirring her potion throughout his little tirade, didn't even seem to flinch when he addressed her, she kept her gaze down but it didn't stop him from noticing that the was smiling just slightly.

"Miss Bergman!"

Still nothing. He was about to stalk over to her desk and grab the stirring rod out of her hands, when the always interfering Miss Granger, next to whom she was sitting as that was the only available seat left in the class, nudged her on the arm and gave a pointed look to where Snape was standing, scowling at them.

Miss Bergman's gaze moved towards him, if only a little reluctantly, and he was taken aback by the vulnerable and pleading look in her eyes. Something about the way she looked at him disconcerted him immensely, and he momentarily forgot is anger towards her. Just then her stirring rod slid out of her hands and hit the inside of cauldron as it fell. The noise startled him out of his confusion. He immediately assumed his most intimidating stance, twisting his mouth into a grimace and stalked towards her.

"You will learn, Miss Bergman, that I do not take lightly to those in my class who do not take me seriously. You will also learn, and very quickly I hope if only for you own sake, that I am I not a professor to be trifled with. Do you understand me?"

Best to teach them early on that this was a class you definitely did not muck about in. It was the way he acclimated his first years and the way he would acclimate any new student who came along. He had a reputation to uphold after all.

It took him a while to realise she hadn't responded or made any move at all for that matter, she just kept starring at him, with that same pleading look in eyes. Her odd behaviour was something he didn't quite know how to handle and he reacted to his uncertainty they way he always did; with anger.

"I said," he snarling at her in his most dangerous and threatening tone, "Do. You. Understand. Me, Miss Bergman?"

She blinked once, then suddenly burst into tears, turned and ran from the room. Her reaction has been so sudden he didn't respond until the door banged shut behind her. He moved to follow, fuelled by feelings of anger, confusion and guilt, but stopped himself just in time. Looking around he found the rest of the students either starring at him or at the door out of which Miss Bergman had fled, one student in particular, was glaring at him with loathsome contemp.

"Oh spare me, Miss Granger. That look wouldn't even intimidate a Pigmy Puff. Put yourself to some good use and go find you new peer. And do make sure she doesn't throw herself off the Astronomy Tower."

Hermione immediately put out the flames under her cauldron and turned to leave. As she neared the door, Snape called after her. "When you do find her, be sure to let her know that she has detention, tonight at 7, for leaving class without permission. Now go."


End file.
